Roller skate



Dec. 8, 1931. J. TRACEY 1,835,446

ROLLER SKATE Filed Oct. 9, 1930 Patented Dec. 8, 1931 un -TED STATES p JAMES TRACEY, or BOON'ION, NEW annsmr ROLLER SKATE Application filed October 9, 1930. Serial 170,487,560.

against the ground when the skate is in use.-

Another object of the invention is to so mount the rollers'that they will be almost entirely enclosed in a pocket formed in a depending portion or blade of the skate with only a very small portion of each roller projecting downwardly out of the pocket; By this arrangement the rollers will be braced against side play andprevented from being subjected to side strain. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide the rollers with improved bearings which may be very easily assembled and will cause the rollers to turn easily.

Another object of the invention is to provide the skate with a foot plate and depending roller-receiving portion or blade formed integral with the foot plate, thereby providing a skate which will be very strong and at the same time of a simple construction.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved skate, Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The foot plate 1 of the improved skate is preferably formed of cast metal, such as aluminum, or any other metal desired which is strong but at the same time light in weight. A depending portion or blade 2 is cast intogral with the foot plate and extends longitudinally thereof midway its width. By referring to Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that the blade is formed with a longitudinally extending pocket of substantially the full depth of the blade and open along its bottom. Side walls of the pocket are formed with openings 3 and 4 which are disposed in op- 4 is unthreaded whereas its opposed 'openin posed relation to each other, and by referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that each opening D 3 is of reduced diameter and threaded. Therefore, the axles 5 which are in the ram 7 of short bolts may be passed inwardly through the openings 4 and have their re duced and threaded ends 6 engagedfin the threaded openings 3 and the bolts tightened by asuitable wrench until their heads 7 bear very tightly against the outer side face of the wall through which the openings 4 are formed. In View of the fact that thedepeliding portion or blade is cast integral with the foot plate, the skates will be very strong'and since the pocket has end walls connecting its side walls these side walls will be braced and prevented" from easily breaking oil. It should also be noted that openings-8 have been formed in the foot plate in order ,to .reduce its weight.

The rollers 9 may be formed of steel or any other suitable material and. while six have been shown, it will be understood that any number desired may be provided. These rollers are fitted int-o the pocket in spaced relation to each other longitudinally there of and since the blade has a straight lower edge extending parallel to the foot plate and the openings 3 and 4 through which the axles for the rollers pass are all formed through the side walls of the pocket at an equal distance from the lower edges of the side walls, the rollers will all project the same distance out of the pocket and will allhave engagement with the ground when the skate is in use. It should be further noted that the rollers are of such diameters that when they, are rotatably mounted in the pocket they will :project out of the pocket only a veryshort distance. Therefore, the rollers will be braced against side strain when skating and also a persons foot willonly be raised above the ground a short distance. Therefore, there will be less danger of a person losing his balance and falling when skating. Each roller is formed with a centrally located openingll) to receive its axle 5 and end portions of the opening are enlarged to form cups or bearing braces '11 in whicharedisposed bearing I'LIUU balls 12. The balls are of slightly greater diameter than the depth of each cup and, therefore, when they are fitted into the cups in engagement with the walls thereof they will project slightly, as clearly shown in Figure 3, for engagement with the axle and with the inner faces of the side walls of the pocket. By this arrangement the rollers will be held out of engagement with the axles and the side walls of the pocket and permitted to turn very freely.

In order to secure the skate, there has been provided front straps 13 and a rear stirrup 14: to which are secured rear straps 15. The

straps 13 are secured against the foot plate at opposite sides thereof by rivets or other equivalent fasteners 16 and one carries a buckle 17 so that the straps may be tightened across the toeof a persons shoe. Lower n1arginal portions of the stirrup 14 are folded to extend beneath the rear portion of the foot plate and secured by rivets 1S. A buckle 19, similar to the buckle 17 is carried by one of the straps 15. Therefore, the straps 15 may be brought forwardly and secured about the ankle. I have, therefore, provided a roller skate which is simple in construction but at the same time very strong and durable .and have further .provided a skate having rollers rotatably mounted'in an approved manner and so mounted that they may turn easily and bebraced against side strain when the skates are in use.

' Having thus described the invention, 1 claim:

1. A roller skate comprising a body having a longitudinally extending depending blade formed with a longitudinally extendingpocket opening through its lower edge face and having side walls, rollers disposed in said pocket in spaced relation to each other longitudinally thereof and having their lower portions projecting out of the pocket, said rollers each having a central opening formed with enlarged end portions constituting bearing races and the walls of the pocket being formed with opposed openings, axles for said rollers engaged in the openings of the walls andpassing through the openings in the rollers, and bearing balls in said races bearing against walls thereof and projecting therefrom and bearing against the axles.

2. A roller skate comprising'a foot plate, a blade formed integral with the foot plate intermediate its width and projecting downwardly therefrom, said blade being formed with a longitudinally extending pocket ex tending for approximately its full length and having side and end walls, the side walls having opposed openings therein and the openings of one wall-being of reduced diameter and threaded, rollers in said pocket having central openings alined with openings in the side walls, and axles passed through said rollers and each having one JAMES TRAOEY. [1 5. 

